A metal nanowire is a conductive material made of a metal having a diameter in the order of nanometer, and having a wire (linear) shape. A conductive layer (thin film) formed by metal nanowires has a high conductivity and a high light transmittance, and thus, such a conductive layer is used for a transparent electrode material, etc., of, for example, a touch panel.
As a method for producing metal nanowires, for example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a technology of mixing a metal salt, polyvinylpyrrolidone, a chloride or nitrate, and one selected from a group consisting of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol.